Friday, November 19, 2021
Microdosing Normalcy: The Bittersweet Return Home to Hadestown on Broadway -
www.intermissionmagazine.ca: The groan of bodies around me brings an ache to my tired chest.
Every seat in the theatre has a person in it, masked and weepy, clapping as if they never stopped. My hands hurt — theirs, too.
Live music stains the air. Trombone, accordion, voice — voices.
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7 comments:
I think that it is fantastic that live theatre is coming back and Hadestown is no exception. I have had many friends for which Hadestown was the last show they saw before the pandemic hit and was the first show they wanted to see once it reopened. I had plans to go see Hadestown myself the summer after the Pandemic hit. I am glad to hear that it's opened back on Broadway and that the tour has restarted and is coming to Pittsburgh next year! It's a show that is still really new to Broadway but also I think that it is one of the more emotional shows in general but also when you think about the message that it sends of hope and love, it doesn't surprise me that the author of this article mentioned that there weren't many dry eyes in the theatre. I love seeing these stories of hope and good experiences happening on the green page and hope to see more.
I've heard nothing but good things about Hadestown and I think after reading this article I may be ready to actually take the time and set aside the money to actually see it. Since it'll be touring through Pittsburgh this time next year that may be the perfect time to finally see this surprisingly uplifting and hope inspiring show. It's beautiful to see someone who resonated so deeply with the music and messages that they genuinely attribute their making it through the pandemic to this musical. The pandemic lockdown was an especially hard time for those of us in entertainment and seeing the industry make its comeback these last few months has not only been extremely exciting but uplifting. I'm glad the majority of the newscomment articles are about shows and designers and productions rather than the constant covid updates that it was for many many months. Constantly seeing and commenting on those reminders of how absent our industry and art was for so long made the pandemic especially hard.
I love the way this article is written. It highlights the beauty in the show Hadestown and I love how personal it gets about the writer's connection to the show itself and the actors in it. I was incredibly lucky to be able to see it twice, just like the writer. I was able to see it once in the balcony and once, by chance, in the orchestra just like the writer as well. It is such an incredible experience. All of the production elements, as well as the music, come together in such a beautiful way. The story is extremely poignant to what is going on today in the world and it was so meaningful to watch as the world was going through many of the same struggles that the writer of the show wrote about at the time that she did. I am really glad to see that it’s back open and I hope to get back to the Walter Kerr to see it again.
The title of this article really stood out to me, and gave me chills in a way. The idea of “micro-dosing normalcy” is exciting yet terrifying. I struggle to believe that what we knew as normalcy will ever be reached again, and micro-dosing it, however carefully, is not something everyone will be ready for. That being said, I am so happy to see all of the precautions that Broadway is makings its audiences take. Having everyone be masked and vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID test is the first step in bringing the sense of normalcy we are all craving back. I would be really curious to see the exact measures cast and crew members are taking as well. I know some shows have the performers get tested every other day. Something that does spook me a bit about having Broadway be back is the fact that the seats are so close together. There isn’t a lot of breathing room, considering there often isn’t enough leg or arm rest room.
The writing in this article is gorgeous, especially when describing the show itself. However, it’s the title that really gets me--’Microdosing Normalcy’. It’s incredibly irresponsible to call America and the way it as a nation is functioning right now as an attempt at ‘normalcy’. And even if it is an attempt at ‘normalcy’, it is even more irresponsible to praise that. This passage, specifically, rubs me the wrong way--author Aisling Murphy describes returning to Canada as ‘wrong; acrid; frustrating’. “I’ll simply have to tell my friends and colleagues about the magic of a packed theatre, rows and rows of masks, applause, closeness. They won’t get to feel it themselves for a few months yet, it seems.” They won’t get to feel it for understandable reasons, Aisling. I have the opposite experience. Hong Kong is still incredibly strict on COVID restrictions. There is a three week quarantine to go home. I won’t be able to see my family for at least six more months. But how many people have died? Going home after being in the US would never be ‘wrong, acrid, frustrating’--especially not from a theatregoer’s perspective.
This article itself was bittersweet in the same way that the author describes both the show and the experience of going. First of all: I want to see Hadestown so badly. I’ve listened to the album (not as many times as the author here, but quite a bit) and love the musical style and aesthetic and message so much. I’m grateful to the circumstances we are in that allow for it to have returned live on Broadway, and also in agreement with the author that live performances still feel a bit surreal. The idea of ‘microdosing normalcy’ as described in the title and article is something that definitely resonates, where covid is not over but if you squint it could be sometimes, but yet at the same time it’s all different than before. I’m glad we seem to have found a working balance where we take as many precautions as possible and still are able to perform live.
This type of article is so inspiring and uplifting. It fills me with hope to hear people’s stories about every little step toward normalcy. I understand we are not out of the woods yet, and there is still some hard work ahead of us before we could get to theater pre-pandemic. Additionally, as a queer POC, I do not necessarily want us to completely return to the Broadway of 2019. That said, I absolutely adore Hadestown so hearing about its return gets my very excited. This show is definitely on my shortlist of shows I would go see right now if I could. I may join Murphy in getting a Hadestown tattoo. Hadestown is truly a great show for where we are now because while it is important to raise a glass for those we lost and commiserate the hardships we have endured, there is a spring around the corner. I hope the spring will be brighter on the other side of this dark underground.
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